This is simply a space for recovering alcoholics and addicts to share the joys, struggles and realities of a sober life. Please feel free to read, write, share but most of all, enjoy.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

gratitude and freedom...

I had the pleasure of giving the Sat nite lead at a nearby Men's AA retreat last evening. I hadn't gotten up and shared my E, S & H in awhile so, it felt good to give a talk. I am fortunate to live 5 miles away from one of the finest retreat houses in the midwest. I have been involved in putting on a men's retreat each winter for 7 yrs now, I kind of look at that as part of my service work. If you've never been on retreat, it can be a really wonderful experience. I have been on 15 of 'em now and I have really enjoyed each one. I hit one in the fall and one over the winter.

One of the major themes that sort of surfaced as I shared last evening was how serene, calm, peaceful and worry-free I have been feeling over the past few months. I feel like I have finally begun to get true, lasting serenity and peace, brought about by an ever deepening faith in HP/God. One of my favorite pasasges in the 12X12 is coming to life for me...

"When a job still looked like a mere means of getting money rather than an opportunity for service, when the acquisition of money for financial independence looked more important thatn a right dependence on God, we were still the victims of unreasonable fears. And these were fears which would make a serene and useful existence, at any level, quite impossible.

But as time passed we found that with the help of AA's Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were. We could cheerfully perform humble labor without worrying about tomorrow. If our circumstances hapened to be good, we no longer dreaded a change for the worse, for we had learned that these troubles could be turned into great values. It did not matter too much what our material condition was, but it did matter what our spiritual condition was. Money gradually became our servant and not our master. It became a means of exchanging love and service with those about us. When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want."-Twelve Steps and Twelve traditions pp. 121-122.

Prayer for the day:

God/HP, thank you for keeping me sober and healthy. I am grateful to you for all the blessings in my life today, but most of all for the peace and serenity You share with me when I place my faith in You. Thank you for using me to transmit Your Message last evening. I pray that I am able to share Your Grace with those I come in contact with today, that they may feel the Warmth and Love of the Sunlight of Your Spirit.